760 Causes and Course of Organic Evolution 



kind may in past time have supposed they admired the "brute 

 courage" of the kings, their rulers, but now are discovering 

 that such can best be done without, as have the bees, the wasps, 

 the ants, and the beavers discovered long ago. Furthermore, 

 as true and pure religious feeling — feeling for the widest wel- 

 fare of the greatest number of the human race, and desire 

 to bring such into closest contact with the great all-pervading 

 synthetic Power or Godhead of the universe — has steadily 

 expanded, it has brought out in ever clearer contrast the past 

 terrible evils of the competitive system for man, and its failure 

 in large measure to ensure his best evolution. 



So the following are now clearly recognized scientifically 

 as a few of the baleful results that the competitive system 

 has given rise to. Chiefs, thanes, barons, dukes, princes, 

 kings, and emperors have arisen who to retain place and power 

 have often pandered to the worst, not the best, side of human- 

 ity. A far deeper and more significant lesson than appears 

 on the surface is taught by the picture of Zarathushtra's noble 

 birth and self-sacrifice — so-called — in later life, as well as 

 Christ's temptation through offer of earthly dominion with 

 all its sensuous and lower mental accompaniments. Their 

 noble rejection of power and riches as part of the religious 

 creed of each is one of many proofs that the Zarathushtrian 

 and Christian systems projected themselves far into the future 

 of man's evolution. 



A second competitive result has been that gradually but 

 surely it gave much land with all its representative wealth 

 to a few, some land with limited power to a still greater num- 

 ber, and no land to the largest numbers who became dependent 

 for direct natural support on a few — the lordlings of the soil. 

 Under wise and advancing social systems other and even more 

 intellectual callings have developed, but direct access of all 

 or of most to the soil is more and more recognized as a prime 

 need for man's healthful continuance. 



A third result flowing largely from the last has been that 

 roaming animals have often been "corralled" by the land-rich 

 few, have been preserved as game, have wandered and de- 



